The genus Cinnamomum

Camphor Tree 233
Table 9.18 Physico-chemical characteristics of oil samples from various parts of the camphor tree
Characteristics Oil samples from Calcutta Chunabhati
leaves
Leaves Branch wood Trunk wood
Colour (Colourless) (Light brown) (Light brown) (Pale yellow green)
Specific gravity 0.9280 0.9428 0.9436 0.9300 (30.1 °C)
(29.2 °C)
Optical rotation 30°60 26°21 28°48 32°19
Refractive index 1.4786 1.4713 (29.2 °C) 1.4727 1.3807 (30 °C)
(29.5 °C)
Acid number 2.238 2.98 3.125 3.217
Ester number 12.148 3.965 4.396 3.476
Acetyl value 29.8 – 216.1 –
Solubility 1:1 1:2 1:2 1:1
(90% alcohol) (80% alcohol) (80% alcohol) (90% alcohol)
Source: Gulati, 1982.
oil in properties and is suitable for soap making. Zhang-Bin et al. (2001) reported that
camphor fruit contains oil similar to the camphor wood oil, and the extraction of green
seeds yielded 2.7–3.1% ‘wood oil’ on solvent extraction and about 2.8% oil by steam
distillation.
Synthetic Camphor
Camphor is a bicyclic ketone. Due to its varied industrial uses a synthetic process for
manufacture of camphor was developed. Camphor is now synthesised by the process
involving conversion: Pinene : bornyl/isobornyl chloride : borneol/isoborneol :
camphor. This is a very cheap process as the starting material pinene (turpentine oil) is
abundantly available from conifer wood. The USA and UK synthesise large quantities
of camphor for various industrial uses. With the introduction of synthetic camphor the
importance of natural camphor declined and the camphor oil gained more importance
as a source material for many aromatic chemicals. Now the camphor tree is valued not
for its camphor but for its oil.
Properties and Uses
Camphor has been indicated for the treatment of a variety of illnesses and afflictions in
Chinese, Japanese and Indian systems of medicines. The varied medicinal uses to which
oil is put to use are summarised below.
Camphor possesses stimulant, carminative, and aphrodisiac properties, and is widely
used in traditional medicine, both externally and internally. Its primary action is that of
a diffusible stimulant and diaphoretic; its secondary action is that of a sedative, anodyne,
and antispasmodic. In large doses it is an acro-narcotic poison. Camphor has been
extensively used in the advanced stages of fevers and inflammation, insanity, asthma,
angina pectoris, whooping-cough, palpitations connected with hypertrophy of the heart;
affections of the genito-urinary system, comprising dysmenorrhoea, nymphomania,
spermatorrhoea, cancer, and irritable states of the uterus; chordee, incontinence of urine,